My FT 897 CAT jack is in use for HRD. According to the schematic there is a way to get TX-Gnd (to key my linear via relay) onto the 3.5" ACC jack by moving a jumper on J1027. Does anyone have a pix or location of J1027, or best way to get to it? (No answer from Yaesu on 2 emails.)

Thanks - I read the pdf in detail, but it does not cover this topic. I have heard from another source that this feature (ablilty to move an internal jumper to get another copy of the tx-gnd lead on the ACC jack), is only available on the FT-897D. The schematic of my new 897D shows it is there. However, Yaesu still has not answered either of my emals on the location and best way at getting at the needed jumper on J1027. At this point, I don't want to open the rig to search, without a photo or pointer. I am about to write them a snail-mail letter asking for more info. If I hear anything else I will post it, as this feature would be really useful to those of us using the CAT connector for something else like HRD.

Thanks to a couple of leads from European hams on the HRD Forum, I discovered that:

1 - The FT897D indeed has the ability to pass a TX Gnd signal to its ACC jack, if an internal jumper is changed.

2 - The jumper is labled J1027 on the schematic and J27 on the PC board. It is located at the inside top rear very close to the grounding screw.

3 - The jumper can be reached by removing the 8 phillips screws on the edges of the top cover (not the 2 near the speaker), and sliding the top cover back a bit. No connectors have to be removed since you only have to slide the top cover back a slight bit.

4 - It's best to use needle nose pliers to move the jumper. The 897D ships with pins 1-2 jumpered. You need to change this to pins 2-3 jumpered. Its about a 10 second procedure.

5 - Be sure to heed the manual's warnings about intefacing to older rigs, and the current and voltage limits on the 897D's keying circuit. In my case I used a small intermediary relay with 13 V on one side of the coil and the other side driven to ground by the TX-Gnd signal of the 897D. That relay then produces an old fashioned contact closure that keys my SB-220.

6 - I started this quest because I wanted to use Ham Radio Delux via the 897D's CAT/Linear and that tied up the TX-Gnd that appears there. My earlier attmpts to tap into TX-Gnd from that jack worked, BUT produced much RF noise. The CT-62 Yaesu cable (used without trying to extract a separate Tx-Gnd) is very quite, however.

I hope this helps. I'm told that this capability only exists on the FT-897D not the FT-897. Yaesu is strangley quiet about this great feature.

Yes...makes interfacing with an amplifier very easy with an inexpensive 3.5 mm stereo to two RCA plug cable. This jumper is on the FT-857 and this feature should be better known. 73, Steve, AK4R (but does it exist on the FT-991A?)

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